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A Word Of Caution About Travel to South Africa

(posted April 01, 2008)

Old Africa Hands know that Johannesburg - particularly the area around O.R. Tambo International Airport - is a high-crime area. It's an area to get out of as soon as possible after you have cleared yourself and your gun through customs.

The reason for this restatement of the obvious is a recent mini-crime wave that has seen as many as 17 Americans robbed in one week, at their hotels, within 24 hours of arriving in the country. The unusual pattern of criminal activity has led to speculation in the local press that criminals have linked up with corrupt airport personnel to find out who is arriving with large sums of money and where they are staying. Indeed, both bits of information are required on Customs Forms that all arriving tourists have to fill out. At least they were required. As this is written, in reaction to the brouhaha, the forms are being re-printed without a place to put one's destination. You will still have to declare how much money you are importing, however.

South African Police say there is no evidence that corrupt airport officials are fingering crime victims. Significantly, Customs officials who have access to the incriminating forms are not allowed to have cell phones at work. So, it may indeed be true that there is no correlation between bringing a lot of cash and being targeted for crime. However, why take a chance by traveling with a lot of cash? We've reported on this matter a number of times, suggesting alternate ways to pay your safari operator. This year is an excellent time to take those suggestions seriously.

Other steps to take to reduce your chance of being victimized on arrival in South Africa include the following: Do not dress in an ostentatiously affluent manner. Hide your jewelry from sight. Don't flash a large amount of cash in public, or withdraw a large sum from an ATM in the airport. Don't convert a large sum of money into Rands at the airport either.

The best advice of all is to use some kind of meet-and-greet and/or driving service to organize your travel while visiting South Africa. Reputable safari operators typically provide meet-and-greet services for clients arriving at Johannesburg. If yours does not, contact Air 2000/Hunters Support (www.hunterssupport.com) or the Afton Guest House (www.aftonguesthouse.com), who provide such services. PHASA (www.professionalhunters.co.za) can also provide a number of recommendations.

Whatever meet-and-greet service you use, Anne Gaines Burril of Air 2000 says to be sure your greeter does not use placards displaying your name and hotel or lodge, as that provides criminals with vital information. She says several tourists were robbed at the very gates of their lodge last year due to this sort of practice. Also, Burril says to arrange payment for these services before or after your pick up at the airport, as showing any cash in public is an invitation to be followed and robbed.

Annalisa Bekker of Afton Guest House offered this additional advice: Do not allow anyone pedaling services to approach you at the airport, much less handle your belongings or take you anywhere. "Trust no one," she says. "You don't know what their true intentions are until it is too late."

The bottom line here is this: Get out of O.R. Tambo International Airport as soon as you can on arrival in South Africa. Do be aware of crime, but don't let worries about it spoil your enjoyment of a hunt in South Africa, or wherever you happen to be transiting to from Johannesburg. - Barbara Crown. Postscript: The US State Department offers some good advice about tourist-targeted crime in South Africa on its Travel web site. Click below to read it:

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